The Kipping Pull-Up

The Kipping Pull-Up, when done correctly, is a great training tool to work strength in the upper body, core, arms, and train your cardiovascular system all at the same time.

You will hear some people say “that’s cheating,” but the truth is…

Kipping is not “cheating”—it is simply another tool in our tool box. The focus should be on strict pull-ups and it should be on Kipping Pull-Ups…

We work both styles of pull-ups and always focus on constantly varied high intensity functional movements…

It is highly important that before you start practicing Kipping Pull-Ups, you have strong and stable shoulder range of motion…

A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to complete one to five strict pull-ups before switching to the kip.

There are different circumstances per individual, so please check in with a Coach this week. We can further assess if now is a good time to teach you the Kipping Pull-Up.

Why do we practice Kipping Pull-Ups in CrossFit?

“In a pull-up-intensive CrossFit workout such as “Fran” or “Helen,” strict pull-ups would substantially increase the time to completion. We’d be doing the same amount of work in more time. The same amount of work in more time is a reduction in average power. Power is intensity. We’d have reduced the intensity of the workout.”
-CrossFit Journal Article, The Kipping Pull-Up
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Do you want to learn more about the Kipping Pull-Up, the technique, and more in depth reasoning on why? Click here to download the PDF Guide…

In case you are more of a visual learner, we have included a “How to” video on the Kipping Pull-Up below. Click play on the video to watch now.